Daily Business Report — Nov. 29, 2010

Lighting Up the Town

Monthly art walk switches things up for the holiday season

By Ashley Garman

The longest running monthly art walk in San Diego is lighting up with holiday cheer for December. Every second Saturday of the month, North Park’s Ray Street galleries and businesses open their doors to the community, but this month, the Ray at Night Business Association is inviting artists and participants to contribute creations that glow, literally.

Ray of Light, a play on words from the art walk’s usual name Ray at Night, will be on Saturday, Dec. 11. Larry Stein, chairman of the Ray at Night Business Association, says, “We wanted to do something different for the holiday.”

The walk will showcase luminous shapes derived from platonic solids, which are meant to symbolize versatility. Artists can fashion their sculptures out of any media — from paper and cardboard to metal and glass, according to Stein.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said. Stein expressed hope that the event would bring in new artists and get more people involved in the creativity. The business association will have a booth at the holiday fair that will follow the Toyland Parade on Dec. 4, providing templates for kids to make their own figures.

“We like working with kids and getting them involved in the arts,” said Stein.

In addition to promoting the arts, the Ray at Night Business Association is looking to “spruce up the street” and draw people into their community.

“It’s a real grassroots-type thing,” said Stein.

Since starting the art walk in September 2001, Ray at Night has not missed a single month. While recognizing the art walk’s already-existing notability, Stein says he hopes the luminous December special will help increase community involvement even further.

In addition to the displays, the festival will have entertainment, a raffle, as well as booths along the street — a first, thanks to a new permit. Stein says Ray at Night averages 300 to 400 attendees, but adds that it has been as high as 1,000 in the past.

Ray of Light will run from 6 to 10 p.m. on Ray Street between University Avenue and North Park Way.

There is no entry fee, and the deadline to submit creations is Friday, Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. To get more information on entry guidelines and to access templates for the five platonic shapes, visit rayatnightartwalk.com.

Cubic Receives $30 Million Contract from British Army

Cubic Defense Applications, a division of Cubic Corp., has received a contract worth more than $30 million for support work at two British Army training areas in Canada and England. The three-year contract, signed in late September, is for maintenance and operation of Area Weapons Effects Simulator (AWES) systems at the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS), in the Canadian province of Alberta, and at the Defence Training Estate Salisbury Plain (DTE SP), in the county of Wiltshire in southern England. About 30 Cubic employees work in support roles at each location. AWES and its integrated Tactical Engagement Simulation (TES) system simulates large-scale force-on-force combat exercises, including the effects of direct fire, artillery, mortar fire, mines and air-delivered munitions as well as nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. AWES also tracks and monitors the actions and positions of more than 1,200 individual soldiers and 250 vehicles using GPS technology, records “hits,” “kills” and “misses” of small-arms fire with Cubic’s Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) technology, and recreates combat exercises for post-mission analysis. Cubic developed and installed the AWES systems under contracts awarded in 1998. Installation work was completed at the 150-square mile Salisbury Plain training area in late 2002 and the following year at BATUS, a sprawling 1,100-square-mile training area that the British Army leases from the Canadian government for combat exercises.

San Diego Investment Conference Dec. 4

Aztec Solar Power, Texas Hill Country Barbecue, ScanAps and Flex Data Solutions are a few of the companies presenting at the Dec. 4 Founding Conference sponsored by the San Diego Investment Conference. It will be staged at the Hilton Torrey Pines Resort in La Jolla. Other companies presenting include DM Products Inc. and Sutter Gold Mining Inc.

Aztec Solar Power (astecsolarpower.com) is a private offering looking to go public in 2011. Within the initial nine months of 2010, ending Sept. 30, Aztec Solar has reported $66 million in revenues and is considered to be the No. 1 solar provider for the mid-Atlantic region.

Texas Hill Country Barbecue (texashillcountrybarbecueinc.com) recently opened its first retail outlet in Ennis, Texas. Texas Hill Country Barbecue manufactures and sells smoked meat products throughout the United States.

ScanAps (scanaps.com) is introducing two innovative technology-driven solutions for the coupon industry at grocery store check-out stands. Unified Grocers, with 3,000 affiliated supermarkets, has approved ScanAps solutions for installation in 50 supermarket stores.

DM Products Inc. (dmproducts.biz) recently received permission from NASDAQ to trade on the exchange. Aliano Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of DM Products, was created to manufacture, distributes and sell fragrances and beauty-related products.

To register as an attendee or presenting company, visit sandiegoinvestmentconference.com.

La Jolla Hotel Names Assistant General Manager

Kim Avant has been appointed assistant general manager of the 93-room, Four Diamond Grande Colonial hotel in La Jolla. She will have operational and directional responsibilities for the hotels’ rooms operations to include front office, reservation sales, revenue management, housekeeping, laundry and bell and valet services. Avant’s hospitality industry career started in 2006 when she joined the staff of the Hampton Inn San Diego/Del Mar as a front desk agent. Shortly thereafter she was promoted to the position of front office manager and remained in that position until joining the Grande Colonial. Avant received a degree in Forensic Technology in 2006.

SCORE San Diego Small Business Workshops

SCORE San Diego continues its series of low-cost workshops in December.

Workshop fees range from $29 to $109, depending on the program. To register, visit score-sandiego.org.

• Dec. 1 – Leasing Strategies – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).

• Dec. 1 – Business Plan 101: How to Develop Your Best Competitive Advantage – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $79, $89 at the door).

• Dec. 2 – Financing Your Business – 9:30 a.m. to noon at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).

• Dec. 3 – Managing Grants & Contracts for Non-Profits – 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the San Diego Foundation – Liberty Station (2508 Historic Decatur Rd #200, San Diego 92106; pre-paid registration $39, $49 at the door).

• Dec. 4 – How to Start and Manage Your Own Business – 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• Dec. 6 – Tax Considerations for Small Business – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).

• Dec. 6 – Business Plan 101: How to Develop Your Best Competitive Advantage – Carlsbad – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $79, $89 at the door).

• Dec. 7 – Import/Export – 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• Dec. 8 – Internet Marketing 301: Pay-Per-Click – 9 a.m. to noon at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• Dec. 9 – Hiring and Managing Employees – 9 a.m. to noon at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• Dec. 10 – Internet Marketing 202: E-mail Strategy – 9 a.m. to noon Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• Dec. 11 – QuickBooks Basic – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• Dec. 13 – Buying and Selling a Business – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• Dec. 14 – How to Start and Manage Your Own Business – Carlsbad – 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• Dec. 14 – Business Basics 101 – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; FREE! Please pre-register).

• Dec. 15 – Business Plan 201: How to Write a Business Plan – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $99, $109 at the door).

• Dec. 16 – Financing Your Business – Carlsbad – 9:30 a.m. to noon at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).

• Dec. 17 – Internet Marketing 303: Social Media – 9 a.m. to noon at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• Dec. 18 – Financial Statements – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at SCORE Entrepreneur Center (550 West C St., #550, San Diego 92101; pre-paid registration $29, $39 at the door).

• Dec. 20 – Business Plan 201: How to Write a Business Plan – Carlsbad – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $99, $109 at the door).

For more information regarding SCORE San Diego’s workshop series and locations, call (619) 557-7272.

The Daily Business Report is produced by REP Publishing Inc., publisher of San Diego Metropolitan Magazine, the North Park News, Kensington News and the West Coast Craftsman. (619) 906-4104.